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About this blog: I've been attracted to food for good and bad reasons for many years. From eating disorder to east coast culinary school, food has been my passion, profession & nemesis. I've been a sugar addict, a 17-year vegetarian, a food and en... (More)

About this blog: I've been attracted to food for good and bad reasons for many years. From eating disorder to east coast culinary school, food has been my passion, profession & nemesis. I've been a sugar addict, a 17-year vegetarian, a food and environment pioneer, macrobiotic, Master Cleanser, ayurvedic, and officially-designated health-nut or party-girl (depending on the year). Professionally, I've worn many industry hats including: line cook, corporate chef, Food Coach, caterer, product developer, restaurant reviewer, culinary school teacher, corporate wellness educator, food co-op clerk, author, and even Cirque-du-Soleil lead popcorn concessioner! For years I managed an outdoor kitchen, deep in the bear-infested woods of Tahoe, and also for hospitals (the most unhealthy kitchen I ever worked in?), Singapore high-rises, mule-pack trips, Canadian catholic rectories, and more events than I could ever recall. Yet I still keep discovering. Actually, I adapt everyday by new lessons learned from teachers, customers and students. However there is one food truth I now hold sacrosanct: Eaters are motivated by pleasure. So no matter what we discuss here - recipes or restaurants, food politics or pairings, local events, food as art, or even as God, I will always come from a high-vibe, party perspective. Oh I do still long to change the world with great tasting food, but know in my heart, "If it ain't fun, it don't get done!" So - wanna come to the Food Party? By the way - it's a potluck. (Hide)

Sriracha + Ketchup + Hoisin

Summer is buzzing by and so is time these days. Where is it all going?

I recently needed a quick dish to bring to a potluck and decided on Sriracha-Glazed Chicken. Very trendy. Everyone is into Sriracha these days.

The combo of Sriracha + ketchup + hoisin will become a fast and easy favorite. You can add anything to this simple-to-assemble-sauce (ahhh, but can you say that five times fast?) Replace the chicken with tofu or beef, or just use all veggies. For an added treat, caramelize some onions to go along with the dish. But if you are in a real rush like I was ? just sauté the veggies with or without protein, then add in the sauce. It travels well and can be reheated on site or just served room temp.

I offer this fast blog and fast recipe for your eating and time management enjoyment.

Combine hoisin, ketchup and Sriracha in a small bowl. Set aside.
Heat oil in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 5 - 10 minutes until caramelized. Stir every so often and add in a little stock now and again to help the process. Don't add salt till nearing the end. Remove from pan.

Sauté asparagus coins for a few minutes until bring green. Add a touch more oil if needed or spray with water. Remove from pan.

Add ginger & garlic. Sauté while stirring - one minute. Add chicken; sauté for a few minutes until done.

Stir in hoisin mixture; cook 1 minute, tossing to coat. Serve asparagus on top beef on top onions.

Posted by A Single Guy,
a resident of Old Mountain View,
on Aug 1, 2014 at 11:21 am

If you don't like it so spicy, you can increase the quantity of the hoisin and/or ketchup and eliminate the sriracha/hot chili. Or you could use something else in the place of the sriracha, like citrus juice, Worcestershire, bottled BBQ sauce, whatever.

The exact breakdown doesn't really matter, the point is to have a quantity of sweetish sauce sufficient enough to glaze the ingredients. As a home cook, it's up to the individual to formulate something palatable for the people who are going to eat it.

Adding salt while caramelizing onions doesn't really speed up the process. Some people do sprinkle a little sugar to augment the quantity of naturally-present sugar in the onions.

Posted by NW Resident,
a resident of North Whisman,
on Aug 20, 2014 at 9:27 am

I finally tried this recipe last night with my family and found it relatively easy to make on a weeknight. I made a second batch without the sauce for those who can't handle a lot of spice.

Even with 2 tsp of Sriracha, those of us who do like the heat were adding more at the table, but the mixture of Sriracha, hoisin and ketchup is very flavorful. We'll be keeping this one for future use and will share it with other family members!

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